


Never-mind the Lack of Resemblance

by knightinpinkunderwear



Category: Gotham (TV)
Genre: Adoption, Alternate Universe, Bisexual Edward Nygma, Ed is a dork, Gen, Harvey is bi, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Past Child Abuse, Referenced Bullying, Single Parents, bisexual harvey bullock, ed is bi, nerd kid
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-12-19
Updated: 2018-12-16
Packaged: 2019-02-16 21:46:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 2,901
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13062795
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/knightinpinkunderwear/pseuds/knightinpinkunderwear
Summary: Based on a scenario on the Ask-oswald-and-edward blog on tumblr. In which Harvey Bullock ends up adopting Ed and saving him from growing up in an abusive household.________________________________________________Rating is subject to change. Time skips might occur between chapters.





	1. Adoption

 

 

He hadn’t even thought it out first. He’d seen the kid sitting with a child protective services attendant. A couple was arguing with the attendant. He saw the couple grab the kid, they were yelling, the kid was shaking and crying. Next thing he knew Mr. and Mrs. Nashton were charged with child abuse and Harvey buying the kid an ice-cream across the street. Shelly had insisted that removing the kid from the stressful environment and his parents’ presence would be good. Though she didn't really need to convince him. The kid’s name was Eddie. He ate his mint-chocolate-chip cone quietly. He looked too thin and wore glasses over his big brown eyes. Harvey couldn’t help wanting to make him feel better. He felt sick when the kid flinched away from a hug. What the hell had those monsters done to Eddie? 

“So, is mint-choc-chip your favourite?”

“Yes sir.” he was looking at his shoelaces as if he was expecting to be scolded or belittled.

“You don’t have to call me sir, kiddo, just Harvey is fine”

“Bullock! Where’ve you been?” the kid jumped in his seat on the bench, the shout startling him. Luckily, his ice-cream was unharmed. 

“Heya Dix, I’m enjoyin’ some ice-cream with Eddie here while Shelly processes the charges on his folks.” Dix nodded in understanding. 

“Edward Albert Nashton, it's a pleasure to meet you, sir.” the kid was too polite, reaching out a small hand to shake. Dix took it.

“Nice to meet you too, I’m Detective Dix.” 

After that it kinda just spiraled out of control, they got lunch together, making sure Eddie got a sandwich that he liked and that he felt safe. As the kid warmed up to them he got chattier and smiley. He told them the process of both making ice-cream and how to make the syrups that flavoured it. The kid seemed to know why and how everything worked and how it was made. He rambled on and on with a certain glee and a wide smile. Harvey didn’t have the heart to tell the kid to hush, after seeing him quiet and scared he much preferred the absolute chatterbox. When they got back to the precinct he pulled up an extra chair and let the kid sit and continue to talk about any and everything. So when Shelly came to pick him up, Harvey was actually sad to see the kid go. The quiet felt almost alien, he missed Eddie’s chatter, his little tidbits, did-you-knows, and long rambles like the one on the harms of sugar farming on the soil of the Caribbean islands. 

 

If you asked Harvey when he decided on adopting the kid he would tell you he had no idea. He didn’t even really know how it happened, just one day Shelly was helping him sign custody and adoption papers. Amazing how signing a paper could legally declare you a father. Harvey cleared his apartment of any R-rated material, he knew the kid was clever and incredibly curious. Then he was clearing out the room that was previously intended to be an office. Getting a twin size bed and mattress took a good deal of his savings, but the smile he got when Eddie finally came home for the first time was worth it ten times over. If you asked Harvey, adopting the eight-year-old was the best damn decision he’d ever made. 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you, Irisbluefic for helping me with the title!


	2. Don't let nobody mess with you

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ed is enrolled in elementary (primary) school. He gets picked on and Harvey won't stand for it.

 

Harvey had known something was off as soon as he enrolled Eddie in elementary school. He’d known the kiddo was smart, so he’d asked to meet with the principal and curriculum director to see if his kiddo would be better off in fourth grade instead of third. He was happily surprised when they said he could skip straight to fifth grade. Nothing could beat the smile Eddie gave him. He was proud. Then within the first week of fifth grade, the eight-year-old had started acting funny. But every time Harvey asked, Eddie would insist he was fine.

“You okay, kiddo?” He’d barely touched his meatloaf, and he was dragging his fork back and forth through the instant mashed potatoes. 

“Yes, I’m fine.” his backpack was sitting in the corner ripped, one of the straps almost completely detached. Eddie was always careful with his belongings, someone else had clearly done that. 

“What happened to your backpack?”

“I-uh…”

“Is someone messin’ with you?”

“No...”

“Look at me,” he did, “I want you to tell me if anyone bothers you, because that ain’t ok, got it?”

“Yea.” Eddie nodded, putting his fork back on the table. 

“Starting now, who messed with you?” Eddie dropped his gaze. 

“Steven Tanner. He said that fifth grade isn't for little kids and that I didn't belong.” 

“Well he's wrong, and he's picking on you because he's jealous that you're smaller  _ and  _ smarter than him.” 

“What?”

“Being smaller makes you look like a good target to jerks, and given that you’re smart enough to skip two grades he’s probably very jealous that you did.”

“You think so?” with the possibility on mind Eddie was already sitting up straighter. The kiddo loved praise, even if it was only implied. It might have been a little worrisome, but knowing the kiddo’s past he knew that giving him the attention, praise, and love he strived for was the best way forward. Besides, it was endearing, how he always wanted to show the new things he’d learned. 

“Definitely,” Harvey sat a little straighter too, enjoying the ear-to-ear grin he got in return. Later he’d call in the school and complain to the principal and a few teachers about this Steven kid. If the problem continued, he might just have to take off early and pick up Eddie from school, making sure his badge was perfectly visible. They’d probably go for ice-cream too. Eddie had a sweet tooth, a quality that made Harvey sure that this kid was meant to be part of the family. They’d probably get dinner from that food truck Dix showed him, that was the best burger he’d ever had... Harvey had to make sure this kid had a proper education on the food of Gotham. But for now, he let Eddie help with the dishes and watch an hour or two of Jeopardy! With him before ushering him off to bed.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I finally updated! (Sorry for the long wait guys)
> 
> Please comment, I love feedback, I promise I won't bite you!


	3. My Son doesn't Cheat

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> refer to the title of the chapter

 

 

Exam scores came back, Eddie scored highly. Which made sense, paired with all the extracurricular studies the boy did, (his grades also reflected a smart kiddo not having any academic trouble). So when the school called and told Harvey his son was suspected of cheating he immediately called BS. After seeing how apprehensive Eddie was around the time report cards came out, how he'd confessed that his old folks never thought he was smart. (Harvey'd figured out the rest on his own.) Why Eddie was so averse to lying. Why Eddie got so frightened when cheating was mentioned. Which only strengthened Harvey's resolve to tell the school to stuff it, his boy didn't cheat.

"We aren't saying that your son cheated, it's just no one else in his class scored as high and he's so much younger than they are-"

"My son likes to find those extra-info tutoring sites online, he likes to read the textbooks and when he finished the one you sent him home with we went to the library and got him more of those to read! He did not cheat!" Harvey couldn't really remember what else he said but he got the message across and Eddie's acquisition was dropped. He had aced his classes and his tests all year. He even convinced Harvey to enroll him in extra summer classes because: _"You can't stay home with me all summer, and I can't stay home by myself all day!"_ It worked.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, this part is short.


	4. Stars of the Show

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eddie has a friend and they both like performing and... some revelations occur.

 

 

In seventh grade, Eddie made friends with a girl named Myrtle Jenkins. They were close. Both had an aggressive love for pretty clothes and karaoke. Myrtle was a clever girl too, she skipped a grade over the summer. She not only answered Eddie's riddles, she made up her own to answer his.

They were like little nerdy partners in crime. Their weapons of choice were wordplay and fun facts.

That year they started a tradition. Entering into the school talent show. They sang a Disney song;  "Under the Sea". It was cute. Eddie and Myrtle even dressed up in red to pretend they were both the crab. They killed it. All of the younger kids in the audience had a blast.

In eighth grade, they did a duet of "Don't stop me now" and Harvey couldn't think of a single complaint about having two tweens constantly singing Queen songs in the apartment. They performed that one in biker jackets and shiny black pants.

In ninth grade, it was "What a wonderful world" while also playing the accompanying piano duet.

Then "Space Oddity" in tenth grade Myrtle was 'Major Tom' wearing a home-made astronaut suit they'd worked together on for weeks. Eddie was wearing a less complex outfit, but he had a headset and was pretending the keyboard was the 'ground control system'. Both the kiddos couldn't resist wearing the tri-colour lightning bolt painted across their faces. And there might have been a little bit of extra shimmer to their costumes and make-up. Dix really enjoyed that show, he'd been videotaping all of them. But the astronaut suit definitely had won him over.

Then came this year's performance; "It's raining men".  Now Eddie had been talking a little more about boys that he used to, in a familiar way. (Mostly Eddie was talking about Marcus, another boy in the advanced men's chorus class). The way that Harvey had first figured out he swung both ways. But he didn't want to put pressure on his kid so he left it and tried to subtlely encourage him. Now the costumes they were working on were the most complex. Eddie had a shimmering khaki trench coat that he tore off to reveal a red sequined romper that matched Myrtle's dress. The two had also change some of the lyrics so that the song would say "each and every one of us" (can find the perfect guy) instead of "woman". Now that was a clear hint as to the reason of Eddie's boy related interests. So when the fifteen-year-old said he had something important to tell Harvey before the show he wasn't surprised. Eddie led him to an empty classroom, it was where he and Myrtle had been warming up. 

"Dad, I uh, I think I like boys,"

"Mm-hmm?"

"And I think I like girls too..." Harvey nodded. That had apparently not been the reaction Eddie anticipated. "Wait! You're not gonna _say anything?!_ Did you _know?_ Did someone _tell_   you!?"

"Hey, kiddo, calm down, no one outed you 'cept yourself."

"How?"

"What song are you performing today?"

"It's raining men- _okay,_ but straight guys like that song, _everybody_ likes that song!"

"The other clue might've been the frequency in which you talk about Marcus and how nice his eyes are," That, Eddie didn't respond to, other than a fierce blush that went from his neck up to his ears. Harvey chuckled, "You aren't exactly subtle, kiddo. And don't worry, your dad here swings both ways as well,"

"Wait, _really?"_

"Yup,"

"Huh..."

"Now, go out there and kill it, I'm proud of you Ed." Eddi nodded, giving him a fierce hug and practically skipping his way to the auditorium and backstage. The performance was amazing, cheezy and sparkly and amazing. The little ballet workshops the kids had been doing paid off. It was an impressive show. Dix recorded that one too. And the DVD it got burn onto (for later viewing purposes) had a star on it. Harvey couldn't wait to show this to future boy and girlfriends. 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've been thinking of little Ed Nygma singing "it's raining men" for months now. Finally, I wrote it. 
> 
> Please comment?


	5. Spirit of the Goat

 

 

The spirit of the goat showed up when Eddie was fifteen. Just starting out his senior year of high school and already in the process of applying to five colleges. (Ivy league and local stuff). He was getting letters from all over and scholarships for academic achievement. Music and theatre programs that wanted his dedication and enthusiasm. 

The first two victims were both rich girls with long blond hair. So, as any slightly paranoid parent would do, Harvey encouraged Eddie to have Myrtle hang out at the precinct after school more. He didn't want to walk into a crime scene with the face of a girl who could almost be his niece at this point. He didn't want to tell her family she was gone. He didn't want to have to tell his son that his best friend was gone. 

He and Eddie had both lost enough at that point. If Harvey could help it, they weren't going to lose anymore. 

Then, the third girl goes missing. And an anonymous tip is called in. 

Eddie and Myrtle are safely at the precinct in someone's office doing homework and writing college essays. Harvey makes sure they're safe before he and Dix head out to follow their lead. 

He was stupid, reckless, too focused on catching the monster quickly so that he couldn't hurt anyone else's daughters. And Dix is the one to pay the price.

He should've waited for back up.

But he didn't.

Maybe that was a good thing, the girl was still alive. But he had no way of knowing if she would have lived had he listened to his partner and just waited. 

Back up comes too late, instead, they're helping transport two people to emergency care. 

Dix gets surgery.

They can't fix him completely. He'll be paralyzed from the waist down for the rest of his life.

It's all Harvey's fault. 

And he knows it.

 

Some angel brings Eddie to the hospital, where he is still sitting, head in his hands, letting the guilt eat him alive. Eddie is quiet and understanding. Too good a kid. Too sweet. He doesn't know how he deserves him as his kid.

But he's grateful. Infinitely grateful. 

Dix doesn't completely blame him. That should have alleviated some guilt. 

It didn't.

Not at first. 

It takes months until he starts to place some of the blame on the occult-goat psycho. 

He and Eddie visit Dix twice a week. Eddie usually tries to bring some food or treat. He's a sweet boy like that. Determined to spread kindness, not taking shit from assholes. Harvey is proud of him. So damn proud. He was so glad that he was raising his boy right, that he wasn't like his own absent father, that Eddie wasn't with the monsters who used to be his "parents". 

He knows he's been a decent dad. Because his kid is so much stronger than him. He's kind, smart, resourceful, and won't take shit from anyone. Eddie's growing up so fast, and so strong. He isn't sure if he's missing little Eddie, because he's so damn proud of how grown he is.

Dix isn't bitter. He's happy for his visits. They watch silly movies, discuss Eddie's school choices, play board games. It's not bad. 

And Harvey finds, he doesn't hate himself for it anymore. He still blames himself quite a bit, but he's accepted it, that he can't change it, that everything is turning out fine despite it. 

 

 

 


	6. College fears

 

Harvey wanted to curse Toy Story 3. And the asshole that insisted he watch it. (Officer Leroy)

It was a cruel movie. It made him think about things he didn't want to face yet. 

Like his kiddo going off to college. Eddie was turning 16 in two days and here he was, sobbing into a pillow about the concept of having to address that his son was growing up. 

How had the time gone by so quickly? Almost eight years now. He'd been a father for almost eight years, he wasn't ready for his kiddo to be grown up, not by a long shot. 

Besides, he knew as soon as Eddie went off to college he wouldn't be able to _not_ worry. He didn't like the idea of his son being far away with a large group of 18 to 25-year-olds. He just knew that college would not be the safest place. And he could not stomach the idea of someone hurting his little boy. Even if he wasn't so little anymore. Harvey couldn't help that his mind kept providing images of eight-year-old Eddie. He couldn't help but think of the world as a threat, he was just worried and didn't know where to direct that worry. 

Besides, he knew that quite a few underclassmen guys were horrible human beings and preyed on inexperienced freshmen. He knew that sexual assault and harassment was a huge risk. And he did not want anybody to get handsy with his son. Harvey hated sexual crimes more than anything except the harming of children. He especially did not want some entitled gross asshole to cross his son's boundaries, he did not want his kiddo to be harmed in such a cruel way. He did not want to see his son harmed at all. But he couldn't baby him, or protect him from the world forever. Eddie was a strong kid, he'd been through a lot, and while Harvey knew that he couldn't completely prevent his son from being hurt again, he sure as hell wished he could.  

What he could do was make a note to never watch Toy Story 3 again. 


End file.
